Perceptionally, India's China-policy in the last 25 years emerges as tied to United States coattails in terms of 'China Threat' perceptions. India after OP SINDOOR decisive Pakistan military victory over Pakistan, (notwithstanding Pakistan's nuclear overhang), India needs to reset its China-policy reflecting its new military stature and economic might.
Notably, while China was aiding Pakistan with real-time operational intelligence during this War, China did not repeat its traditional propensity to issue military warning ultimatums to India in favor of Pakistan in distress.
Significantly, the 'China Threat' will "persist" in Indian threat perceptions, till resolution of the boundary dispute and China's reset of its Pakistan-policy. What has changed in 2025 is the new context added by India's military and economic rise.
Let it be highlighted initially itself is that India's military and economic rise have resulted from India's own inherent strengths and robust national security policies of the BJP-led PM Narendra Modi Government since 2014.
Ever since 2014, PM Modi has relentlessly pursued the strategy of significant increase of India's 'WAR PREPAREDNESS' and crafting a resurgent Indian economy. The results in 2025 are that India today is both a global geopolitical heavyweight and an economic giant.
China seems to be awakening to this reality.
The United States and Russia as major strategic partners of India 'may have' contributed only marginally to India's rise.
During the past 25 years China resorted to multifaceted attempts to contain India's military and economic rise. But after Dokalam Standoff in 2018 and the Galwan Military Clashes in 2021 Chinese perceptions underwent change, witnessing India's massive military mobilization in Eastern Ladakh.
The final blow to convince China was India's OP SINDOOR crippling strikes on Pakistan incapacitating Pakistan's offensive capabilities within two hours, despite Pakistan's China-origin military inventories. China should now be convinced that India's Regional Power capabilities stood proven.
China's strategic reality check on India in 2025 would indicate to China that its 'India Containment' policies were no longer valid and that China must adapt to "Manage India's Rise".
Contextually, what added more context to China's recent political outreaches to India is a worsening of China-US relations.
It was China's growing belligerence earlier which pushed India to strategically embrace the United States. Ironically, in 2025, United States patently anti-Indian stances under President Trump 2.0 and his punitive Trade Tariffs against India because of the Russia-connection, will stimulate India to edge closer to normalization of its China-ties.
India's national security interests rest on two foreign policy determinants of national/military security and economic security.
On both of the above counts, India after much investment of strategic capital on United States and its Strategic Partnership, in 2025, faces the stark reality on whether it was worth it?
In terms of the hovering 'China Threat' India's strategic partnership with United States has not imparted any added 'China Deterrence' in India's favor. United States continues to have misgivings on India's stress on its Strategic Autonomy postures.
In terms of India's economic security, United States trend of punitive tariffs policies on India to arrest India's economic rise and dictate its political preferences has been disappointing and shocking.
O both counts, United States "credibility' as a pivotal Strategic Partner of India has nosedived in 2025.
India's foreign policy planners must be actively alert to this new reality and recalibrate both its US-policy and its China-policy.
It needs emphasis that United States China-policy has never been anchored or aligned to suit India's National Security interests. Many a times United States China-policy ran counter to India's National Security interests.
There were times when United States strategic convergences were aligned with China's strategy of building Pakistan's nuclear and missiles arsenal against India.
China hopefully by now would have realized its strategic follies to use Pakistan Army as its proxy bulwark against India in the Indian Subcontinent.
India in 2025, with its current rising trajectories, and with United States having not proved a "Credible Strategic Partner" should strike the trajectory of its China-policy detached from United States' unpredictable China-policy formulations.
It needs to be highlighted from my past writings that the United States in terms of its China-policy operates on two planes. To bolster its Forward Military Presence in Japan and South Korea and to win over to its strategic orbit pivotal partners like India it "plays up and sensationalizes" the 'China Threat'.
When it comes to US-China policy formulations, the 'China Threat' is expediently forgotten or put aside for politically expedient policies, much to disappointment and chagrin of US Allies/Strategic Partners, for short-term transactional gains for United States.
Therefore, United States sermons on the 'China Threat' to India needs to factor-in this aspect when arriving on India perceptions of the 'Chian Threat'.
Concluding, emphasis must be laid on the stark reality that China can no longer indulge in political, military and economic coercion of India and nor of 'India Containment'. India too must recognize that India's strategic partnership with United States is not a strategically validated strong deterrent against China.
Asian stability and global security would be strengthened by China and India seeking strategic convergences and "stop being used by pitting one against the other" to serve United States strategic ends
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